Harry Potter and the Other World
by samowu
Summary: Dumbledore sends Harry, Ron and Hermione into an alternate world in order to gather information about how to defeat Voldemort in their own world.
1. Serious Magic

Chapter One: Serious Magic

"You must be joking!"

Harry looked over at Ron, shocked by his friend's sudden outburst. Ron was usually meek and intimidated around the Headmaster. Still, Harry completely understood Ron's emotions; he was just as shocked at the Dumbledore's plan. Looking to his right, he saw that Hermione was feeling the same.

"I assure you Mr. Weasley, I am completely serious. To bring up magic of this magnitude one must be deadly serious. To my not inconsiderable knowledge, such magic has not even been spoken of in modern times." Dumbledore's eyes, missing their familiar twinkle, underscored the seriousness of those remarks.

"Professor," Hermione begun, "I'm still a bit confused. I've heard of the idea of alternate universes before, but only in muggle science fiction. Now you're sitting there and telling us that they're real?"

"Your skepticism is reasonable, Miss Granger. Many wizards have looked upon the idea of alternate universes with similar scornful disbelief. It is for that reason that the idea has fallen out of modern knowledge, with the exception of the fiction you mentioned. Yet I assure you they are quite real. Five hundred years ago, in France, there was a reclusive magician named Darius. He posited the possibility of these alternative universes. Officially, the Ministry in France condemned him as a crackpot, and our Ministry quickly followed suit."

"But unofficially…?" Hermione asked.

"Some believed him, and preserved the material he wrote down about these universes. Theoretically, he found a way to travel into one of these alternate dimensions and come back, and left detailed instructions for his followers about how to complete this journey themselves."

"And I'm guessing somehow you've somehow found that knowledge," Harry said wryly.

A smile returned to Dumbledore's face, but it was uneasy. "Yes, Harry, I believe I have found that information. It has taken my not inconsiderable resources, and a lifetime of study, but I tracked the works to a small monastery in southern France. The monks there had preserved the text, though they were not wizards themselves. They were not willing to let go of the text, but they were willing to let me look over the text. This past summer, I spent months copying down everything Darius had to say, and referencing it with other magical sources. Finally, I believe I am able to make this happen."

"Assuming that this is even possible," Harry said, "what exactly is it that you expect us to do if we are able to reach this alternate world?"

"What we need, Harry, is information. I have told you what I know about Voldemort, about how he achieved some of his powers, about his ways of staying alive. But knowing how powerful Voldemort is does not necessarily mean we know how to destroy him for good. Harry, I believe soon you will face Lord Voldemort in battle, and one of you will die. As it stands, I think we can move towards evening the odds by destroying the horcruxes. But there is still much risk in this plan. Voldemort may still defeat you, and if that happens I gravely fear the consequences.

"My plan is to send you into this alternate world in the hopes that they know something that we do not. In this other world, perhaps the people have found a way to defeat Voldemort. Perhaps they know the location of the remaining horcruxes. Perhaps they know weaknesses we are completely aware of. It's not a complete plan; even if you do manage to find weaknesses, there's no guarantee they'll transfer to this world. But it's the possibility of an advantage. It's a piece of magic that we have that I am confident in believing Voldemort has never explored."

They were all silent at that moment, considering what Dumbledore has just said. Then, Dumbledore added, "I felt that it was better that the three of you went together. You have accomplished many great things together, and I have no doubt you are up to the unique challenges that this will impose on all of you."

"Besides," he said, the twinkle returning to his eye for the first time that evening, "If I only asked Harry to go on this mission, somehow both of you would find a way of coming along. I thought it better to just ask each of you to go upfront. This is a tough decision I am asking of you; it involves risking your life in a completely new way, an unknown way. I will understand if you need the night to think it over."

Without a moment of hesitation, Ron spoke up. "I'm in." Harry and Hermione both looked over at him, shocked at their friend's courage. Seeing both of them, Ron said, "What? We all know Harry would have said yes eventually, and that even if for some reason we said no we'd end up going anyways. Thought I'd be the noble, brave one for once. I'm thinking now about telling Harry he can't go, that this is something I've got to do by myself." Ron grinned sheepishly, then all three of them burst out laughing. Even Dumbledore smiled at them, wearily but with a note of cheer that had been missing from his earlier smiles.

"As I can assume that both of you are in agreement with your friend," Dumbledore said to Harry and Hermione, "I would like to request that you join me tomorrow morning at 9:00 A.M. at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. There I will give you my final instructions. For now, please return to your dormitories, and try and get some rest. You will need all your energy for tomorrow."

The three friends got up and left the Headmaster's office. Without saying a word to each other, they returned to their dormitories. Harry went directly to bed, as did Ron, but he did not sleep right away. Instead, he sat up wondering what he'd be seeing the next day. His whole life, he dreamt of living a different life, where everything was different. Tomorrow, he would see a world different from his own. What might he see there? More importantly to him, who would he see there?

* * *

The next morning, Harry, Ron and Hermione found themselves standing out in front of the Forbidden Forest, waiting for Dumbledore. Seeing him approach, the three of them waved, but they remained silent. Their trip to the forest was unusually silent for the three of them. They had no idea what they would be facing, and that scared them.

"Follow me into the Forest please," Dumbledore said, leading the way.

"Professor, why are we doing this in the Forest, instead of somewhere in the castle or in Hosgmeade?" Harry asked.

"I have a few reasons, Harry," Dumbledore responded. "First, this process will be instantaneous. You will quickly appear in the other world, and it is my understanding that you will appear in the space of that universe that corresponds to the space in this universe. Thus, if you depart from the Forbidden Forest, you will end up in the Forbidden Forest (or whatever is in the place of the Forbidden Forest) in that universe. If you depart from the Great Hall in this universe, you will end up in the Great Hall of that Universe. If there even is a Hogwarts there, it would be quite a shock for three students to suddenly appear. The Forbidden Forest provides a secluded, relatively unchanging spot. You should be able to enter the universe undetected."

"Ah, here we are," Dumbledore said, arriving at a clearing in the path. "This should be a suitable part from which to depart. Now, I must give you a few instructions. First, Miss Granger, I am taken to understand from Professor McGonagall that you are capable of performing fairly strong glamour spells?"

"Yes sir," she responded. "They're not overly complex, but I think I should be able to hide basic identities."

"Good. When you reach this universe, that should be your first priority. You don't want to run the risk of meeting up with someone that recognizes you and mistakes you for your identities in the other world. Finally, when you arrive there, I believe the wisest course of action is to find the version of me that exists in this world. When you find him, present him with this." He took an envelope out of his robes. "This contains a letter I have written, signed and sealed with my personal crest. If this other Dumbledore shares my interest in Darius, then he will be able to aid you in your quest, and provide you with necessary information."

"Have I left anything out?" he said, more to himself then to the trio. "Oh yes, good luck to all of you. The service you are providing the entire wizarding world is enormous. I wish you all the best." With that, he took a scroll from his robes, and promptly began to read in a language unfamiliar to Harry. When he was finished, he slashed his wand, and suddenly the trio disappeared.


	2. The Other Dumbledore

Chapter 2: The Other Dumbledore

After the flash, the trio found themselves lying on the ground. They remained conscious, but were dizzy, and unable to stand up for a few moments.

"So… did it work?" Ron asked, the first of them to rise to their feet.

Hermione pulled herself up, using Ron to steady herself, and answered, "I suppose it's impossible to tell. Dumbledore told us that we'd most likely end up in the Forbidden Forest of this universe, and that it would probably be relatively unchanged. So we could be in this other Forbidden Forest, or we could be in our own."

"Dumbledore's not here though," Harry added, taking Ron's outstretched hand to get up. "If we were still in our own universe, wouldn't Dumbledore still be here?"

"Harry's right," Hermione said. "We can probably assume that we made it safely to the other universe."

"Seems a lot like our own," Ron said.

"It's supposed to, Ron," Hermione said. "If Dumbledore was correct, this world should be nearly a mirror of our own. The same locations, even the same people. There's just something different about it, something that makes this world separate from all the others."

"Well, from what I can see, the Forbidden Forest isn't the thing that's changed," Ron said. "And if that's true, knowing the Forbidden Forest of our world, it would probably be best to get out as soon as we can. If we were lucky, the change in this world would be Hagrid never raised Aragog. But this is us and our luck, so in this world he probably raised triplets."

"I agree," Harry said. "Besides, we need to get to work figuring out what's different about this world. I think we should make our way to Dumbledore's office. Our best hope is that Dumbledore of this world is familiar with the concept of alternate worlds, and he'll be able to help us blend in to this world."

Harry began to walk out of the forest, but Hermione stopped him. "Wait, Harry! You're forgetting something important. The glamour. If you walk in looking like Harry Potter, and there's another Harry in this universe, we'll run into trouble quickly." Hermione set to work casting spells on the three of them, changing their appearances beyond recognition. The one problem was that she was unable to cover up Harry's scar.

"Sorry, Harry. The scar is magically created. There are no spells I can cast to take away the scar from your forehead. You'll just have to wear your hear down to try and cover it."

"It's just as well," Harry said. "If you knew some spell to hide the scar and hadn't told me before today, I might have to hex you, and we really don't have the time for that." All three of them laughed at this. "Besides, it's like you said earlier. We don't know anything about this universe. There's a chance Voldemort never attacked me as a child, so this world's version of me may not even have a scar. This world's version of me could…" Harry was unable to finish that sentence. So many things could be possible in this universe. He could have never entered the Tri-Wizard Cup… Cedric might be alive… Sirius might be alive… His parents…

_No_ he thought. He couldn't go down that road. He'd see what there was to see in this world, but he wouldn't get his hopes up. That could only bring pain. Instead, he turned around and began to lead his friends towards the school.

As they approached the school, the world continued to look identical to their own. Every tree, every blade of grass, the same Hogwarts they remembered, that they had seen just minutes ago. Even the people were the same. Harry noticed Seamus and Dean walking past them, engaged in conversation about Quidditch. Hermione must have noticed Harry watching them, because she whispered, "Remember, Harry, you may recognize them, but they won't recognize you."

Harry nodded, then walked in the front doors of the castle. Immediately, he saw the face of Professor McGonagall, and his heart swept with relief. He rushed over to her, with Ron and Hermione quickly following behind him.

"Professor!" Harry shouted, and McGonagall turned to look at him.

"Who are you three?" she asked suspiciously. "I don't recognize any of you."

Harry gulped, realizing at once the mistake he had made in approaching her this way. "Professor, there's no time to explain, but we need to meet with Headmaster Dumbledore as soon as possible!"

"You can't possibly expect to waltz up to this school, as far as I can tell not even being students, and expect to be marched up to the headmaster for a personal meeting!"

"Professor, I understand this is unusual. But Dumbledore will want to meet with us, I promise. You just need to tell him this is about the work of Darius, and I guarantee he'll agree to meet with us."

McGonagall showed no signs of recognizing this name; however, she seemed to decide the three posed no immediate danger, so she turned around and began to lead them to the Headmaster's office. When they arrived, she turned to them and said, "You will wait out here for me. I shall tell the Headmaster what you told me, and it will be up to him to decide whether or not to meet you."

She entered the Headmaster's office, leaving the three of them waiting in the hallway. "Well, that could have gone better," Ron said. "Have we stopped to think what will happen if Dumbledore doesn't recognize this name? If Dumbledore in this universe never studied alternate universes?"

"We'll just have to hope for the best," Harry said. If Dumbledore can't help us, we'll have to make our own way through this world and see what we can learn."

As he finished saying this, the door to the office swung open once more, and McGonagall re-emerged. She wore a look of mild surprise on her face. "It seems that the Headmaster will indeed see you now, in private."

The trio entered the Headmaster's office, and found Dumbledore standing in wait for them. He surveyed them for a moment, then said, "Many years I've spent studying the works of Darius. I thought I was the only one. But if what Minerva says is true, I seem to have company in this regard."

"Actually," Harry started, "you're not entirely wrong. We ourselves are not followers of Darius. In fact, we had never even the heard the name until two days ago. When we stood here in your office, and you told us about him."

This seemed to take Dumbledore by surprise, more surprise than Harry had ever seen from him. "You mean to tell me that you are travelers?"

"Yes," Harry said. "In our world, you had discovered a way to cross the universes. Last night, you called us to your office and asked us to travel here, to attempt to gather information. He gave us this," he paused and grabbed the envelope Dumbledore had given them, "to hand over to you as proof of our story."

"I sent three students into an alternate universe for information?" he asked, reading the letter. "I can only guess this has to do with Lord Voldemort, assuming he exists in your world."

"He does," Harry responded. "We're currently at war with him. You, or the you in our world, sent us here to see if he had been defeated in this world, and if so what you have done to defeat him."

"I am afraid that in this regard," Dumbledore said, each word seeming to cause him great pain, "you will be disappointed. In this world, Lord Voldemort remains strong. Many thought him defeated years ago, but he returned less than three years ago."

"It was the same way in our world. We thought he was dead, but then he reappeared. We discovered he was using horcruxes. That was our main objective. Dumbledore… er, you… hoped that the people of this world would know the locations of some of the horcruxes.

"We are aware that he is using horcruxes. We have also discovered some of these horcruxes, but not all of them. I can see now that it is in our best interest to share information. I am on my way to a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. I assume that exists in your world as well?" They nodded. "Excellent. Then you will accompany me to the meeting. Perhaps there you will get a feel for how this world is, and learn what you need. Hopefully, you will be able to give us information as well.

"I do have one favor to ask of you, if it does not make you too uncomfortable. I wonder if you would remove your glamour and show your true forms? I would like to know with whom I am dealing, even though you may share nothing in the common with the people I am familiar with."

Hermione looked at both of them, and seeing Harry nod, she cast the spell to remove the glamour. Dumbledore surveyed the three of them. He walked over to them, stopping to look closely at Harry. He seemed to fixate on Harry's scar, but said nothing about it.

"A quite interesting combination, given what I know of each of you. We must not dwell though, as we need to get the meeting as soon as we can. We will take the Floo Network. The address we are heading is Number 17, Elm Tree Lane."

He then stepped into the fire and disappeared. Harry, Ron and Hermione followed him after Hermione recast the glamour, pondering both his mysterious words, and whose home they were traveling to.

As they arrived, they saw Dumbledore waiting right outside the fireplace waiting for them. "I apologize for the hurry, but I'm afraid I was already late for the meeting."

"Professor, could you tell us whose house this is before we go in there?" Harry asked.

Before Dumbledore could answer his question, a man entered the room. Though he had only seen him once, Harry immediately recognized the man, if for no other reason than his resemblance to his son. Harry realized at that moment they were standing in the home of Frank Longbottom.

"Albus! You're late. Everyone else has already arrived, and we're waiting on you to start the meeting." Frank paused to look at Harry, Ron and Hermione. "You've brought people with you?" he asked.

"Yes," Albus said, "though I'm afraid that as late as we're running, we should save introductions for when the meeting starts."

"Of course," Frank said, and he led them out of the room, and into what Harry assumed was the dining room. Dumbledore walked up to the front of the room and took a seat, while Frank ushered the three of them two three open seats.

As they sat down, Harry glanced over to the man sitting to his left. When he saw him, Harry's heart lept. He didn't remember the face from his real life, but he had looked at this man's picture many times. And he saw the face every morning when he looked in the mirror.

Harry was sitting next to James Potter.


	3. Fifteen Years Earlier

Chapter 3: Fifteen Years Earlier

At precisely 7:00 PM, the doorbell to the Potter residence rang, just as it had at the same time every night for the past two weeks. Lily, knowing of course who it must be, opened the door beaming.

"Sirius!" she exclaimed, still unwilling to call him by his Marauders nickname. "Seven years of Hogwarts, and not once do I remember you ever being on time for class. Yet for the last two weeks, you've been perfectly on time. I'm starting to think you may actually be growing up!"

"Perish the thought Lily," he said, giving her a hug. "It's just a matter of motivation. If I'd had a fantastic godson like Harry waiting for me at my Hogwarts classes, I would have been on time."

All of a sudden, Harry sped into the room on his toy broom, shouting "Padfoot!" Lily groaned and shook her head as Harry went crashing into his godfather, sending Harry to the ground and making Sirius grasp his leg, both laughing all the while. Sirius scooped Harry up into his arms.

"I wouldn't have thought it possible, but I swear he looks more like James every night I come over here."

"The way he rides that broom I'm starting to think he acts more like James every day too," Lily responded. "I'm just worried somewhere in the world his Sirius Black is growing up, waiting to join Harry in detention as soon as they arrive at Hogwarts."

"Well of course he'll need a Padfoot," James said, suddenly entering the room, "and a Moony, and a Wormtail. Only fitting if we'll be passing the map on down to them," he added, winking at Sirius.

"James Potter, you will not be passing that map onto my son!" Lily shouted. "He'll be enough of a detention magnet being your son without you giving him extra incentive." James grinned sheepishly at this, looking over at Sirius and seeing the same look on his face.

"Never you worry, Lily, Harry will be in the best hands," Sirius said. "Not being blessed with children myself, I've already begun scouting families for likely candidates for Harry's Padfoot. Frank and Alice have a boy about Harry's age you know. Good Gryffindor stock there. And I think I heard Arthur and Molly Weasley had another boy Harry's age."

"The Weasleys have a boy every age," James said, "But they're definite candidates. Or perhaps, and I think this is our winner for sure, the Malfoy boy will do." He finished, and looked over at Sirius. Suddenly, they both burst out laughing. Lily glared at both of them.

"You boys," she said. "I don't want you pitting your children against each other at this age. Even if they are Malfoys."

"Sorry, Lily," James said, flashing a look that showed just how little remorse he felt. "So, Padfoot, want to come out to the yard with me and Harry, practice some junior Quidditch?"

"Nothing I'd love more, Prongs," Sirius said, "but I had something else in mind. I was wondering if I could talk to you and Lily for a moment." Sirius no longer had a smile on his face.

"Something wrong?" James asked.

"I just wanted to discuss something with both of you," Sirius responded.

"Why don't you come into the living room, Sirius," Lily suggested, taking Harry from him. "I'll go put Harry to bed a bit early, then we can talk."

As Lily walked upstairs with Harry, James and Sirius sat down in the living room. "So what's up, mate?" James asked.

"This is really something we should wait for Lily before we start talking," Sirius said. They sat in silence, until a moment later Lily came downstairs and joined her husband on a couch.

"What's the problem, Sirius?" Lily asked. "Why are you suddenly so…"

"Serious?" Sirius ventured, offering a weak smile at the familiar joke. "I've been thinking about our arrangements with the _Fidelius_ charm, and me being your secret keeper."

"Sirius, let me interrupt you," James said. "If this is going to be one of those moments where you try and convince us that you're not fit to be our secret-keeper, or that we'd be better off with Dumbledore, you can just shut up right now. We both trust Dumbledore with our lives, but it's you we want to put our faith in. I really don't know any way you could change our minds."

"This isn't about switching to Dumbledore," he said, "but it is about switching away from me. Look, I'm flattered that you trust me with your lives, and you know I would trust both of you with my own. But that's exactly the reason I think you're making a mistake. Everyone knows us as being friends. If you were Voldemort, and you were attempting to find the Potter's secret-keeper, who would be the first person you start with? I think I'm strong enough to stand up to whatever he can throw at me, but I don't know my breaking point. He has power we can't even imagine."

"I thought you said this wasn't about switching over to Dumbledore?" James asked.

"It's not," Sirius said. "I came up with a better idea. Dumbledore would probably be the next person he'd look to after me. What we need is someone Voldemort would never think we would choose, someone who would seem to be vulnerable to Voldemort's attacks but who we can trust with our lives. We need…"

"Peter," all three said in unison. James and Lily took a minute to consider what Sirius had just said. Finally, Lily broke the silence.

"No." She looked at him with determination. Seeing Sirius begin to protest, she continued, "And no Sirius, its not that we don't trust him. But Sirius, you're Harry's godfather, his protector. Do you know why we chose you for that role? Because I know, and James knows, that the breaking point you mentioned earlier? It doesn't exist for you. So no, we're not about to change our secret keeper, anymore than we plan on changing Harry's godfather." James did not have to add anything; it was clear that he agreed with his wife.

Sirius looked at them both, his eyes filling with tears. "I'll need to be going then. I've got some business for the Order to take care of."

"I'd kill to be out, you lucky dog," James said, and they both burst out laughing.

Peter Pettigrew heard the knock he had been waiting for all night. _Finally_. He knew Sirius was coming over to bring news from Lily and James, but wasn't sure when Sirius would be there.

"Padfoot, come in," Peter said, opening the door. "Please, let me take your coat. Can I get you anything?"

Sirius resisted him, saying "Sorry, Peter, but I can't really stay. I've got Order business. Just wanted to drop by and tell you what happened with Lily and James."

"Did they agree to the change?" Peter asked nervously, knowing he might be in jeopardy with his master if Sirius had not come through for him.

Sirius looked at him for a moment, and said "No, Peter, they didn't."

Peter's heart dropped. "Oh," he said disappointedly. "Well, probably best they keep you, you'd be able to stand up to so more than me anyways."

"Peter, don't take it that way. We all know you'd lay down your life for a fellow Marauder, just as any of us would. They just think as Harry's godfather I should be there to protect him. Look, don't worry about it Peter," he said, walking out the door. "I'll come by soon and we can talk more about it."

Peter closed the door behind Sirius, then began to panic. He knew he should call his master, but he was afraid of what would happen when he did. Suddenly, a high, cold voice behind him said, "Hesitating to call me, Wormtail?"

Peter jumped, then turned around, falling to his knees. "No master, of course not. I was merely attempting to figure out what to do next."

Voldemort lazily twirled his wand, and said, "Planning is not your strong suit, Wormtail, as is plainly evident. You have failed me, and that is of great disappointment. Nevertheless it is no major setback; I'll just have to earn the knowledge of the Potters' location, instead of having it handed to me by a rat. As a result, I shall let you live. Just not comfortably." With that, Lord Voldemort began his first act of torture of the evening; he made it brief however, as it would not be his last.

Sirius sat in his backyard, doing what he did most every night after his work for the Order was completed: renovating his flying motorbike. Many would scoff at a wizard using Muggle tools, when he could easily fix the bike up with magic. However, Sirius found great comfort in this nightly labor, and he continued.

Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from within his house. At the same moment, the Sneakascope he kept in his pocket began to go off. Under ordinary circumstances, he didn't trust the thing. After all, it had gone off a bit when he was at Peter's house. Still, his instincts told him this was a real threat, and he began to draw his wand.

At that time, Lord Voldemort burst out the back door, his wand aimed squarely at Sirius.

"You know," Sirius said, "that there is no way I am giving you what you came here tonight to obtain." Sirius stared at him without a trace of fear in his eyes.

"Perhaps I will not," Voldemort spat, "but you'd be surprised how loose-lipped people tend to become around me."

"Do you think that intimidates me?" Sirius asked mockingly. "I'm fully prepared to lay down my life for Lily, James and Harry."

"We shall see," Voldemort said, "and if you stay true to that, I will grant you that desire to die.

With that, the two men began to duel. However, in spite of Sirius' training Voldemort soon gained the advantage, and began the work of torturing Sirius Black.

An hour later, Sirius was lying on the ground, bloodied up and broken, but still holding on to the information. Voldemort surveyed him with his snake-like eyes.

"It seems that I underestimated your foolishness," Voldemort said. "It is clear to me now that you truly are prepared to die for your friends. You're of no more use to me now." Voldemort lifted his wand, preparing to cast the killing curse.

Sirius sat waiting for his death with little fear. After what he had been through, death would be a relief. Suddenly, he heard the words "_Avada Kedavra_" and looked up, anticipating the green light, followed by all the feeling leaving his body. But he never saw that light, and he remained alive. He looked up at Voldemort, and saw his face plastered with shock. Abruptly, Voldemort's form fell to the ground, revealing a figure standing behind him.

Sirius Black looked over to see his friend, Remus Lupin, still holding up his wand after casting the killing curse.


	4. Encounters

**Sorry for the delay, I've been crazy busy with a bunch of things. Sadly, a short(er) chapter today. But, but, more is in the works soon, promise! In the meantime, reviews motivate more and better writing!**

Chapter 4: Encounters

Harry look again at James. He was careful not to look for too long, because he didn't want to get caught staring. However, when he turned away and looked across the table, he caught sight of another familiar face.

_Sirius_.

This wasn't the Sirius Harry was familiar with. This Sirius appeared at first glance to be almost a decade younger, even though Harry was quite certain they were in the same time period. His face was filled with color and life, and he looked more handsome than ever. Harry realized at this moment just what a toll Azkaban had taken on his godfather.

Sitting next to Sirius was Lupin- also looking much younger and healthier than the gaunt, shabby man Harry knew. Both of these men had clearly led different lives, lives filled with joy and friendship. Looking closer, Harry noticed Lupin's hair to be parted strangely, hanging strangely over his forehead.

Shifting his attention way from the two Marauders, Harry looked around the room to see what familiar faces he could locate. He saw several- Arthur and Molly Weasley, Tonks, Mad-Eye- but also many unfamiliar people. All in all, Harry reckoned there to be double the number of people than there would have been at a typical Order meeting in his own universe. He wondered if all these extra people were dead in his world, or if some other event had precipitated a rise in Order membership.

Suddenly, James leaned forward in his chair to say something to Sirius. As much as Harry wanted to hear these two men interact, his father and the closest person to family he remembered, he was unable to hear a word they said. This is because when James leaned forward, Harry was able to see the woman sitting on the other side of his father: Lily Evans Potter.

Harry had seen many photographs of his mother. He had studied them more intently than Hermione had ever studied a book. She had been described to him many times. He was told that every time he looked into the mirror, he was looking at exact duplicates of her eyes. Once, in a dark graveyard, when he thought his life was nearly over, he had even seen a ghostly form of her. But he realized at that moment that he had never truly seen his mother before that moment.

There was an air of life to Lily that no photograph could show, that no description could adequately convey. She was energetically chatting with the person next to her, and every movement was filled with vivacious livelihood. Harry particularly saw this in her eyes. He knew, looking at her, that if asked, he too would be unable to come up with the words to describe her.

Luckily for Harry, who otherwise might have stared all day, Dumbledore began to speak to the group. "Thank you everyone for coming here today. Before we start, I should dispense with some business many of you are no doubt curious about. The three young people who accompanied me today are not Hogwarts students, but instead have been home-schooled. Recently, the three of them came to information about Lord Voldemort-" several people in the room cringed as he said the name "-information very valuable to our cause. Voldemort found out about this, and went to their homes to hunt them down. The three of them miraculously survived, though Voldemort murdered their families."

There was silence at this. Everyone in the room was now staring at them. Harry's heart was warmed to see Lily staring at him with a motherly look of concern. Two seats to his right, Ron was blushing as Mrs. Weasley gave them a similar look. Hermione seemed immune to this though, as she was scribbling something down on a piece of paper. Harry couldn't see what she was writing though, because she was taking pains to ensure no one else saw what she was writing.

Dumbledore continued, "Earlier today, the three of them made their way to Hogwarts, seeking my aid. I have agreed to grant them sanctuary at Hogwarts, and enroll them as students at the school, both to continue their magical education and to endure their safety. In return, they have agreed to tell me what they have learned about Voldemort."

"Now, with that piece of business dispensed with, let us quickly discuss the other matters at hand. Kingsley, a report about the Muggle Prime Minister?"

Kingsley stood up and said, "As many of you know, I have been posing as a secretary for the Muggle Prime Minister, as an attempt to ward off any serious attacks against the Muggle government. As of now, there have been no attempts that I am aware of to place the Prime Minister himself under the _Imperius_ curse, but lately I have suspected that Voldemort is working his way up the chain. A few staff members have been acting oddly, and I believe a few members of Parliament have been compromised as well. However, I don't believe Voldemort is concentrating too much force in this area."

"Thank you Kingsley. James, do you have a report on the Auror's office?"

Harry's father stood up. "Yes Dumbledore. There's a balance of power dispute right now in the office. As you all know, the Minister believes that this is a war for the military to fight. He thinks this is the place he will make his legacy, and doesn't want the Order interfering with it. That is putting particular stress on Sirius, Frank and I, as we are all known to be…" James paused searching for the words. "Dumbledore loyalists."

At the front of the room, Dumbledore smiled, and motioned for James to continue. "However, Lee Coady, the head of the office, doesn't mind so much. He can't risk showing up at an Order meeting, but he's aware that we do, and tacitly supports it. We just have to make sure the Ministry hawks don't catch on to what we're doing."

The meeting continued on like this for a while, with people giving reports on various aspects of what was happening in the wizarding world. Harry noticed that the world seemed more or less similar to his own, just with different people in different positions. He wasn't sure how much this world was going to be of help.

Finally, the meeting seemed about ready to come to a close. Dumbledore stood back up and said, "It looks like we have only one more item on the agenda. We still need to hear a report from…" Dumbledore paused, searching a page sitting in front of him… "Peter Pettigrew."

**So I had more I was going to add to this chapter, but that was before I decided to put Peter back into the tale. And that just seemed like a delicious note to end on for today!**


	5. Meet the Parents

**A/N: Just as a clarification point, since I've been unclear about timelines. This takes place near the end of the sixth year. Which means the following things are true:**

**-Harry knows about the horcruxes**

**-He knows that the diary and the ring are horcruxes and where they can be found**

**-Harry and Ginny are dating**

**-Ron and Hermione are over their awkwardness**

**Hope that helps a bit! Anyways, a bit longer chapter today. Getting more into the meat and interactions. I'd love reviews to know what people are thinking!**

**Chapter 5: Meet the Parents  
**

Harry's heart sank as he heard these words from Dumbledore. _Peter Pettigrew_? His mind raced with the possibilities. Was Pettigrew good in this universe? Had he never betrayed James and Lily?

Or was the possibility more sinister?

Maybe Pettigrew was still a follower of Voldemort, but just hadn't been uncovered. After all, Pettigrew showed his true colors when he betrayed James and Lily. In this world, James and Lily were still alive. Maybe Pettigrew had never gotten a chance to turn them in to Voldemort.

Wormtail stood up on the other side of the room. Harry quickly noted that he was sitting away from the rest of the Marauders. He began talking. "The word I've heard lately is that the Dark Lord is biding his time. He's still active, but he's not murdering or ordering murders at his usual rate. He's doing enough to scare people, to start to destabilize society. He's playing on the Ministry chaos right now. When the Minister has caused there to be complete divide, that's when he'll act."

So Wormtail was a spy for the Order. In other words, he seemed to be for this world was Snape was to Harry's world. This still raised many questions though, about what everyone in this world knew about Pettigrew and how they felt about them. Through Pettigrew's short speech, Harry noticed that James refused to look over in Peter's direction. Instead, he looked down at the table. Sirius and Remus engaged in similar behavior.

"With that, I believe we can conclude our meeting," Dumbledore said. "I want to thank you all again for coming to this meeting, and thank Frank and Alice for hosting us today."

Everyone started to get up, though no one was immediately leaving. Instead, numerous smaller conversations started up. Dumbledore looked like he was going to walk over to the trio, but instead was swept up in conversation by a witch that Harry didn't recognize. Harry, Ron and Hermione were about to make their way towards Dumbledore, hoping to avoid conversation, when Harry felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me?" Harry turned around and found his mother facing him. "What Dumbledore said… that's horrible that it happened to your family."

The experience was surreal for Harry. The mother that had died fifteen years ago was standing in front of him, offering her condolences for the family he no longer had. Harry had no idea how to respond. Suddenly, James walked up beside his wife.

"You've done well to come here though. Not many places safer than with Dumbledore. It's amazing though that you showed such presence of mind. We have a son, and if the two of us were murdered, I'm not sure he'd have a clue about what to do!"

"James!" Lily exclaimed, elbowing him in the stomach. "We both know Harry is more than capable." She looked back towards the trio. "I'm sorry for my husband. The whole world is a joke to him." She gave James another glare, then turned back around. "By the way, my name is Lily Potter."

"And as you may have heard through the elbowing, my name is James Potter," James said, extending his hand out to Harry.

Harry realized that they would need names for this introduction; he could hardly introduce himself as their son. Luckily for Harry, who wasn't always quick on his feet, Hermione jumped in and shook their hands. "Rachel Merton. This," she said, pointing to Harry, "is my brother Steven, and that," now pointing at Ron, "is our friend Seth Jordan."

"Pleased to meet all of you," Lily said. "You know, it's only a Saturday. Assuming you haven't already settled in at Hogwarts, why don't you join us tonight for dinner? I'm sure we could clear something up with Dumbledore."

"That's my Lily for you," James said. "No child can enter Hogwarts without one last bit of mothering."

Hermione looked ready to refuse their offer, and even had her mouth open, but Harry beat her to the punch. "We'd really like that Mrs. Potter, assuming we can clear it with Dumbledore." Hermione and Ron both looked shocked. Harry himself was a bit shocked to hear himself say it. He certainly hadn't planned it in advance; it just came out. But when it came down to it, Harry just couldn't refuse the possibility of a meal with his parents, something he had dreamed of all his life.

"Wonderful!" Lily exclaimed. "Look, Albus is walking our way as we speak. Albus!"

"Yes, Lily?" Dumbledore asked sweetly.

"Albus, given that this is only a Saturday, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to allow us to have these three over for dinner tonight? Let us feed them a bit before sending them off to Hogwarts? They look exhausted."

"You're certainly welcome to join us too," James added.

Dumbledore stared intently at Harry, seeming to know exactly why this idea appealed to him so much. "For myself, I must refuse, I have a great deal to do at Hogwarts. For my three young friends here, however, I see no reason to refuse if they would like to have one more night of freedom. They've certainly earned that right."

"Well then it's settled," James said.

"Indeed. This will also give me ample opportunity to make room for them at one of the dormitories, and talk to their potential roommates. Just send them back through the Floo Network to my office following supper."

With that, Dumbledore whisked away to talk to a nearby wizard. Soon, Harry, Ron and Hermione followed the Potters out of the room, and into the fireplace, where they then traveled to Godric's Hollow.

As Harry entered into the residence at Godric's Hollow, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy shoot through him. Around him was the life he deserved to live. A nice house, with a bedroom no doubt instead of a cupboard, surrounded by two loving parents. Without even knowing who he was, his parents had already shown him more love and kindness than he had experienced in all his years with the Dursleys.

He looked around the wall and realized that Lily and James had clearly been people to document their lives in photographs. Around him, Harry saw pictures of himself playing Quidditch with James, dressed up for his first day of school, playing with a girl…

Harry saw this girl in several of the pictures. In fact, he noticed that this girl was in a lot of the pictures around the room, including several without Harry himself. He realized, looking closer at her, that this must have been his sister. She looked as much like a young version of Lily as Harry looked like a young version of James.

While they looked at the pictures, James and Lily had gone into the kitchen. Soon, James re-emerged, and began to herd the three of them into the kitchen.

"Come on you three. Fortunately Lily had been cooking a roast while we were gone, so it's ready to eat. It's the craziest thing. She cooks it just like a Muggle; came from Muggle parents. But I will say this for the Muggles: if their cooking is like Lily's cooking, they could teach wizards a thing or two." James was jovial and talkative. It was as though he had known them his whole life, though from his perspective he had only met them hours ago.

When they reached the kitchen, Lily ushered them each into a seat. "You three are in luck. I'm so used to cooking with my two children around that when it's just James and I, I always make too much.

Looking down at his generous serving of food, Harry realized for the first time that they had not eaten all day. This clearly was not the case for Ron, as he was nearly drooling upon seeing the food. Harry, however, was more concerned with getting information out of his parents.

"What are your kid's names?" Harry asked, already knowing 50% of the answer.

It was Lily who answered him. She spoke with evident pride. "Our older child is our son Harry. He's-"

James cut her off, saying "He's the Quidditch captain for Gryffindor, just like his father!" Realizing he had interrupted his wife, he grinned up at her sheepishly.

She glared at him for a moment, but then smiled. "As we all know, Quidditch is the center of the universe, so that's naturally what me must mention straight away."

"Don't worry about it," Hermione said, "these two are the exact same way, always talking about Quidditch."

"What are your positions?" James asked.

"Keeper," Ron responded, though his response was muffled through the massive quantity of food he was shoving in his mouth. Hermione looked appalled.

"Seeker," Harry responded.

"Ah!" James said. "Just like Harry. I was a Chaser myself, always hoped he'd follow in my footsteps. But the boy is a natural Seeker, incredible reflexes."

"What about your daughter?" Hermione asked.

"Ah, now she's a chip off the old block, another Chaser. We saw her play in a game and-"

"James!" Lily said, interrupting him. "I think she was asking a more basic question like what her name is." Turning towards Hermione, she said, "Her name is Iris. She's also a Gryffindor. I can't be sure, but I'd guess Dumbledore would place you three with the Gryffindors. Or maybe he'll just put you through the Sorting Hat."

"Of course they'll be Gryffindors!" James exclaimed. Looking at the trio, he said, "I don't know how much you know about Hogwarts and it's houses, but Gryffindor is the house for the brave and noble of heart. What you three did, that's bravery. Dumbledore would be crazy to place you anywhere else."

"I have to agree with James," Lily said. "From what we heard, you two have been through so much, and have been so courageous. I just realized: we've been going on about our kids and our lives, but we still know hardly anything about you three!"

The three of them looked at each other anxiously, none of them seeming quite sure what to say. Fortunately Hermione as usual was able to think quickly on her feet.

"There's really not much to tell. The three of us grew up together in a small village in Southern England. We lived on neighboring farms. Both sets of parents wanted to send us to Hogwarts, but our lives were on that farm, and we couldn't leave them alone there. So we stayed, and our parents taught us what they knew about magic. They had all done exceptionally in school, so our education was quite good. Then, one night we were on an errand in the village. Some Death Eaters had come there, and we overheard… things."

"No need to tell us dear, I'm sure you've worked out all of this with Dumbledore," Lily said. She had moved over to Hermione's side of the table and put her arm around her.

Hermione nodded, then continued. "We immediately headed home and told our parents what we knew. Unfortunately, the Death Eaters we overheard must have followed us home. They burst into the door and started shooting off spells. Somehow, in all the chaos, our parents managed to clear a path for us to get out of the house. We ran as far as we could. When we looked back, we saw…"

"The Dark Mark…" James finished softly. Hermione had her head buried in Lily, who was gently weeping as well. Harry did not consider himself a great actor, but he had experience with parents dying, so the emotions he showed were real.

The dinner continued on like this for quite some time, with Hermione embellishing some more life details for them. Harry was astounded at how quickly she was able to think through these stories. Much to his disappointment though, Lily was far more interested in hearing stories of their lives then telling him about their own lives.

Yet in some ways, he didn't even care. Just being in the presence of Lily and James was enough for him. He was mesmerized seeing them there talking to him. He could have stayed there all night.

Unfortunately, the night had to eventually. Lily told them, "We should probably be sending you back to the school. I'm sure Dumbledore wants to get you all settled, and introduce you to your new dorm mates. We'll write to Harry and Iris after you leave, make sure they seek you out and make friends with you."

"Thank you so much for having us over tonight Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Hermione said. Harry and Ron mumbled thanks of their own. Harry had to restrain himself from giving them a hug. It was one of the hardest things he ever had to do.

James led them to the fireplace, and instructed them to go straight to the fireplace in Dumbledore's office. Hermione went first, followed by Ron. As Harry entered the fire, he looked back one more time at Lily and James. At this moment, he resolved that no matter what, this would not be the last time in this universe that he saw them.

Soon the trio was back in Dumbledore's office. Hermione and Ron were already dusting themselves off and talking to Dumbledore when Harry came in through the Floo.

"Ah Mr. Potter. Or should I say Mr. Merton?" He smiled. "We need to get the three of you to your beds as soon as possible. I've assigned the three of you to Gryffindor house. I assume that meets with your approval?" They nodded. "Excellent! I've invited a student up to take you to your dorms." The door knocked. "That must be him."

As Dumbledore opened the door, Harry, Ron and Hermione stared in shock. "Rachel Merton, Steven Merton, Seth Jordan, let me introduce you to Harry Potter."

**A/N: ****Next chapter will be big in terms of development. You'll start learning more about the differences in this world. Are Harry and Ginny together? What's up with Hermione in this world? What does alternate Dumbledore know about Voldemort that the trio doesn't, and vice versa! Tune in soon to find out, I'll try and keep publishing quickly, especially if I get lots of reviews!  
**


	6. The New Marauders

**A/N: One of my shorter efforts today. Alas. Continue to read and review please!**

**Chapter 6: The New Marauders  
**

The first thing the three of them noticed was that this other Harry didn't have a scar. Of course, they hadn't really expected him to; his parents were still alive, so Voldemort probably hadn't tried to kill him as a baby. Still, they were so used to seeing him with a scar, that he looked like a completely different person without it.

The other Harry walked towards them with his hands extended. "Hi," he said, "my name's Harry. Harry Potter. You three are new students here?"

Each of them offered Harry their hands, and introduced themselves using their aliases for this world. Dumbledore, standing nearby, said, "Mr. Potter, it is already going quite late. I've alerted the Professors patrolling tonight that you would be out late, but it's probably best not to push it. You should escort these three to their new dormitories. I assume you have alerted a female in the Gryffindor house to their presence so that someone will be there to greet Ms. Merton?"

"Yes sir. Hannah Abbot is waiting by to show her around." The trio exchanged puzzled glances over this remark. In their world, Hannah Abbot was a Hufflepuff.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore said, and waved them out of the office.

Leaving, Hermione turned to Dumbledore and said, "Thank you for all your help Headmaster."

"It was my pleasure, Ms. Merton. I will be in touch with the three of you shortly so that we can meet again."

With that, the other Harry led them out of the office. He began to walk down the corridors towards the Gryffindor house.

"It's a good idea to pay close attention where we're walking," he said. "The castle can be a real maze if you're not sure where you're going. But don't worry. You're headed to Gryffindor house; Gryffindors are always willing to help each other out. So the Headmaster told me before you arrived that you were having dinner with my parents?"

"Yes," Hermione responded. "We had gone with Dumbledore to a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix after we arrived at the castle. When it was over, your parents insisted upon feeding us."

The other Harry laughed. "That sounds just like them. Mum probably couldn't bear the thought of you entering Hogwarts without a home-cooked meal, even though she bloody well knows the food at Hogwarts is amazing."

"Well, it was nice of them to have us over."

"Let me guess. Mum tried to mother you to death and wanted to know all about you. Then Dad shifted the conversation somehow to Quidditch."

"That's almost exactly how it went," Harry responded.

"Are any of you Quidditch players?" the other Harry asked.

Ron spoke up this time. Pointing to Hermione, he said, "She's not, but we both are. I'm a Keeper, but I'm not great. Steven's the better one. He's a Seeker."

The other Harry's eyes lit up. "A Seeker, eh? That's my position as well on the House team. Your friend says you're good?"

"I'm ok," Harry responded.

"We'll have to play sometime, get some good competition going. Haven't faced a decent Seeker since Cedric Diggory graduated and joined the Appleby Arrows."

"I'd like that," Harry responded. He really would love to play his doppelganger, but that wasn't why he had a smile on his face. Instead, he was thrilled to hear that in this world Cedric Diggory still lived.

"So who are your teams?" the other Harry asked.

"I'm a die-hard Chudley Cannons fan myself," Ron responded.

"Oh gosh another one," the other Harry said. "I swear, ever since they won their third straight national championship last year everyone has become a Chudley Cannons fan." Harry looked over at Ron. It was quite possibly the happiest he had ever seen his friend.

The three of them walked through the hallways of Hogwarts chattering about Quidditch, with Hermione following closely behind. Finally, they reached Gryffindor tower. Entering into the common room, they saw the room mostly deserted, save one girl lightly dozing in a chair: Hannah Abbot, as promised. Hearing them enter, she awoke and walked over to them.

"Hey Harry. Are these the three new people?" She turned to them. "Hi, I'm Hannah." The trio introduced themselves again. "It's starting to grow pretty late," Hannah said. "We should be going to bed."

"You're probably right," the other Harry responded, and with that he led Harry and Ron up to the boys' dormitory while Hannah led Hermione up to the girls' dormitory. "Unfortunately I won't be able to introduce you to everyone tonight. I think all the guys are in bed. Tomorrow morning at breakfast though you should be able to meet everyone. I'm sure you'll like them."

"Thanks for everything you've done for us," Harry told this other version of himself. "It was really nice of you to take us in and show us the ropes."

"I guess it goes back to something my dad told me over the summer," the other Harry responded. "He said that in this fight against Voldemort, not everyone would be some gallant hero riding in to save the day. We each have our roles to play, and hopefully they'll all work together and defeat Voldemort." Harry felt proud that even in this universe he was unafraid of the name. "You're playing your roles by giving Dumbledore information; I'm playing mine by helping you guys out. It's not a huge thing, but you never know what will be important.

With that, they parted ways, each of them going to their own beds. As Harry walked towards his bed, he wondered if he would ever be able to fall asleep. This had been among the most surreal days he had ever experienced; he had met both his parents and another version of himself. However, as soon as his head hit the pillow, he found himself in a deep sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Harry awoke to find the dormitory empty save for himself, Ron, and the other Harry. The other Harry was up and getting dressed, while Ron looked as though he were also just waking up.

"It's about time you two woke up," the other Harry said. "Any later and we would have been late for breakfast!" Harry and Ron both quickly got up and changed out of the nightclothes that Harry had lent them and into their regular robes. When all three were dressed, they left the dormitory and walked down to the Great Hall.

As they were arriving, they bumped into Hannah and Hermione, both of whom were also nearly late for breakfast. Nodding good morning at each other, the five of them proceeded to walk over to the Gryffindor table and sit down.

After they had sat down, the other Harry began to talk so that the people around him could hear. "Hey everyone, I want to introduce you to some new sixth years who will be going here from now on. This is Rachel Merton, her brother Steven, and their friend Seth Jordan." Everyone around them, mostly faces the three of them recognized, greeted them. Harry began introducing people. "This is Padma Patil and Lavender Brown, never see one without the other. And there Hannah Abbot, you know her already. Across the table there is Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnigan. Last, but certainly not least, let me introduce these two blokes: Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom." Harry noticed that the Neville sitting across the table from them was much leaner; one could tell just from looking that he also had a great deal more self-confidence, no doubt the result of having his parents around his whole life.

"Of course, we all know them better as the New Marauders," a voice came from behind them. They turned around in their seats to find two girls who had come in late to breakfast. The first was Ginny Weasley. The second one, whom Harry recognized from photographs, was Iris Potter. It was she who made the comment about the New Marauders.  
Sitting down beside the group, she continued, "My brother here felt he had to continue the most noble tradition of getting in as much trouble as possible, a legacy passed down from our father. He and three friends of his called themselves the Marauders when they were at school, and so Harry felt he just had to carry on the legacy."

The other Harry rolled his eyes at that, then continued with his introductions. "As you've no doubt guessed, this is my sister Iris. And this," he said, pointing to Ginny, "is my always loving girlfriend, Ginny Weasley."

Harry watched this loving scene with feelings of jealousy. In front of him the life he had always wanted. Yesterday, he had glimpsed his parents; now, the puzzle was complete. A sister, and a relationship with Ginny. A normal life. He also realized that this Harry's relationship with Ginny was not a new one. They had an easy chemistry about them that suggested years of being together, instead of the weeks Harry had before coming to this world.

Hermione interrupted Harry's daydreaming, saying "I'm a little confused. You said that your father and three of his friends formed the original Marauders right?" Harry and Iris nodded. "But there are only three of you. Shouldn't there be a fourth Marauder?"

Ron, Neville, and Harry's faces lit up at this. It was Ron that spoke this time. "Well, the original Marauders were all Gryffindors. However, despite great protestation from one Sirius Black, the new Marauders decided to allow an outsider into the group." At this, the three of them motioned over to the Hufflepuff table. Ernie MacMillan got up and walked over to them.

"Meet the final of the new Marauders," Neville said. "Ernie Macmillan."

**Not exactly the most dramatic of my chapter endings, but oh well. I desperately wanted to include with much more sizable roles two of my favorite characters in the series that are too often ignored: Ernie and Hannah. Ernie's role is obvious. Got another idea up my sleeve for Hannah. Any guesses?**

**And oh yeah, where's that Hermione girl in this world? Hmm...**

**Please read and review! Let me know what you think about the direction I'm going in!  
**


	7. Potions Class

**A/N: So I feel bad. Weeks without writing anything, then I finally publish and its a fairly short chapter without much action or plot movement. I just love these characters so much and want to explore what their lives are like in this world. Could have made this longer but not sure I had time to do more, so I figured better some now then a lot at some indefinite time. I'll keep plugging away though and try to update you faster next time. Maybe if I get some reviews that'll help!**

**Chapter 7: Potions Class  
**

"Who are these three then?" Ernie asked. "Given that we seem to be doing introductions."

Neville did the honors this time. "This is Steven, and his sister Rachel. This is their friend Seth." Ernie shook each of their hands in turn. "They're new students here. Home-schooled until now."

"Then they had the misfortune of being sorted into Gryffindor?" he asked with a smile. The new Marauders stared at each other, then said in unison, "Better than Slytherin!" The table erupted with laughter.

"Ernie, you know you can't mock us," Ron* said. "You're a Gryffindor yourself in everything but name only. All your friends are Gryffindors, your attitude is Gryffindor, and though I know you'd never tell anyone this, you secretly root for Gryffindor's Quidditch squad."

"No, I won't hear of it, I'm Hufflepuff to the bone and proud of it," Ernie responded with a smile.

Harry* looked down at a watch he was wearing, then said, "We should really get to class. Professor Slughorn will not be happy if we're late again.

Iris looked over at him with feigned shock. "Harry Potter? Worried about being late to class? What is this world coming to?"

Harry* shot a dirty look at her. "I'm just trying to make a good impression on our new people here. Can't have them going around thinking we're some group of miscreants."

"That's exactly what you lot are!" Ginny said laughing. "Come on Iris, we have class to get to ourselves." Ginny leaned over to kiss Harry*, then the two of them walked away.

"Right then, we should be off as well," Ernie said. "Most of them have a free period now, but Harry managed to persuade Ron and I to continue on with Potions, so we get to go to class bright and early. Padma got suckered in as well.

"Padma chose to do this of her own free will," Padma responded, "Unlike the two of you." She smiled.

"Either way, we've got to be going now," Ernie said. He stood up, and Harry, Harry*, Ron, Ron*, Hermione and Padma all followed suit. Before they walked out, Ron* walked over and gave a kiss to Hannah. Ron's face turned the same color as his hair, and Harry caught sight of Hermione doing her best to look away from this scene.

"Right then," Ernie said. "We'll see you all for Defense Against the Dark Arts this afternoon." To Harry, Ron and Hermione, he said "You'll like that one. Great class, and with one of our better professors."

"Who teaches it?" Hermione asked.

"Professor Lupin," Harry* said.

"Professor Lupin!" Harry, Ron and Hermione exclaimed in unison.

"I take it you're familiar with him?" Harry* asked.

Realizing his mistake, Harry said "We met him at the meeting we went to. Seemed like a nice guy."

"He's the best," Ron said. "And a former Marauder to boot."

As they walked towards the Potions dungeon, Harry and Ron walked behind the group a bit. Ron said to Harry, "A world where Lupin is still teaching and there's no sign of Snape? I could get used to this world!"

Soon they arrived at the Potions dungeoun. Harry* joined Harry and Hermione at one bench, while Ron*, Ernie and Ron all filled into another. Almost as soon as they sat down, Professor Slughorn entered the room.

"Greetings class, greetings. I hope your weekends all went well. Now today, we shall be discussing-." He stopped in mid-sentence, catching sight of Harry, Ron and Hermione. "And who are you three?"

"My name is Steven; this is my sister Rachel, and this is Seth. We're new transfer students here." Harry answered him.

"Ah yes, of course, Dumbledore sent me a message about that, it completely slipped my mind. Well, welcome to my course. My name is Professor Slughorn, and this is NEWT level potion making. I trust you'll be able to handle the work?"

"Yes," Harry answered. "Though we were not students at Hogwarts, all three of us still took the OWL examinations. Seth and I both received Es, while Rachel received an O."

"Excellent!" Slughorn exclaimed. "I'm sure you're more than up to the task then. Now, to start, we are continuing our discussion of Polyjuice Potion. Without opening your books, who can tell me three ingredients that go into the Polyjuice?"

As expected, Hermione's hand shot up. However, she was not called on, for across the room another hand shot up even quicker.

"Miss Granger?" Slughorn said. Hermione began to answer until Harry elbowed her, reminding her that she was not the 'Miss Granger' that Slughorn was referring to.

Across the room, a familiar voice said, "Fluxweed, knotgrass, and lacewing flies."

Slughorn responded by saying, "Excellent job, Miss Granger. Five points to Ravenclaw." _Interesting_, Harry though. Apparently in this world Hermione* had been sorted into Ravenclaw House. Slughorn continued by saying, "Miss Merton, is it? I believe you had your hand up as well, can you give us three more ingredients?"

"Leeches, powdered Bicorn horn, and shredded Boomslang skin," she answered proudly.

"Excellent work as well! Five points to, eh, what House do you represent?"

"I'm a Gryffindor now, sir," she said.

"Right then. Five points to Gryffindor." The Marauders smiled, and Harry noticed Ron* and Ernie give each other five under the table.

The class continued in this way until the end, with the two Hermiones dueling over answers. The rest of the class seemed to just watch in awe.

Afterwards, they all filed up, and the trio walked away with the Marauders. Ron* spoke up, saying, "Awesome job today Rachel! With someone like you in Gryffindor Ravenclaw has no chance of beating us in the House cup!"

"I don't know guys, that Hermione girl seemed pretty impressive all class," Harry said.

Harry* smiled at him. "True, but they don't have half the Quidditch team we have. Sounds like Hermione has another fan. You should get along nicely with Ernie," he said, turning to Ernie and laughing.

"Oh come off it Potter, we can't all have the objects of our affection fall for us right away like you," Ernie said.

"Ha!" Harry* responded. "If only that were true. Two years where Ginny couldn't have cared less if I existed before I convinced her to go out with me. That's hardly right away."

"Fair point mate. Of course, she was about the only one that didn't have any interest in you back then."

Interjecting, Ron asked "So I take it Ernie here has a bit of a crush on Hermione Granger?"

"For years and years now," Harry* responded.

"A reciprocated crush?" Hermione asked. She was curious to know how her other self acted in this world and who she liked.

Ron* roared with laughter. "Look, I lover Ernie here. One of the Marauders, so he's like family. But Ernie has as much chance of getting Hermione Granger as Neville does of suddenly becoming great at Potions. You see, Hermione Granger has been dating the great Viktor Krum." Hermione trailed them a bit to make sure that none of them would see that her face had turned bright red.

**Hey there Hermione is! Hope you enjoyed!** **More to come soon**


	8. Pranks and Professors

**A/N: Sorry. After not writing in forever, I give you my shortest chapter to date. Sigh. Exams are finished now though so I think I will have more time to write. Btw I didn't explain this last chapter: Harry* Ron* and Hermione* are my way of referring to the alt-world versions of the main characters. Awkward way of doing it I know but I couldn't think of a better way of doing it. Anyways, enjoy! And as always, review!**

**Chapter 8: Pranks and Professors**

"Viktor Krum?!" Harry and Ron exclaimed simultaneously. Harry added in, "The famous Quidditch player?"

"The very same," Harry* said. "Didn't you ever wonder why Krum came to play for the Appleby Arrows? He had offers from plenty of Quidditch squads in his own home country, and rumor has it that over in America the Sweetwater All-Stars offered him the biggest contract in professional Quidditch-playing history. Yet he tosses all of that away and comes and plays for Appleby. Conveniently that started around the time he met Hermione."

"How did they meet?" asked Hermione, still trying to contain her blush. Fortunately the Marauders didn't seem to notice.

"In our fourth year," Ernie began, and not without a hint of bitterness in his voice, "Hogwarts hosted the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Krum came and represented Durmstrang. Won the whole tournament too, just narrowly beating out Cedric Diggory. Anyways, somehow Krum met Hermione, they went to our dance, the Yule Ball, together and starting dating after that."

"It's a sad story really," Harry* said. "Ernie hear was just getting himself ready to ask Hermione when Viktor Krum butted in and stole her from him."

"Well I can hardly be expected to compete with the likes of Viktor Krum now can I?" Ernie shot back.

"Too right," said Harry*. "Truth be told, we offered him your spot on the Marauders, but he turned us down. Just as well, I suppose. No sense in taking the time to teach yet another person the ins and outs of the Hogwarts secret passages."

"Glad to know what our friendship means to you Harry," Ernie said.

"Anytime Ernie."

The rest of the morning proceeded in much the same way, with the Marauders filling the trio in on the inner workings of Hogwarts. The Marauders were also fond of recalling some of their favorite pranks which, much to Harry and Ron's delight, ended with humiliation for Draco Malfoy.

Coming into the Great Hall for lunch, they seated themselves alongside Hannah, Neville, Ginny and Iris, all of whom had already arrived.

"I'm sensing you're not huge fans of this Draco," Harry said.

"That's because all Marauders are required to have nemeses," said Iris with a grin. "It's a universal law. Dad and his lot had Snape, now this group has Malfoy." Seeing Harry* begin to protest, she added, "Not that Malfoy doesn't deserve every bit that he gets."

"Just like Snape deserved everything Dad gave him and more," Harry* spat. Harry re-evaluated his doppelganger. He had seemed so easy-going, enjoying life happily in ways Harry himself had never been able. Now, that face had changed; Harry* looked bitter and angry. Harry wondered what had happened to Snape in this world.

Seeing Harry's confused face, Neville provided an explanation. "Snape was a Slytherin in Harry's dad's year. They always fought and tortured each other. After Hogwarts, Snape became a Death Eater, one of the worst. He…" Neville stopped and looked over at Harry*, unsure of whether or not to continue.

Harry* finished for him. "When I was still a baby, Snape went to Voldemort and convinced him to go after my parents. They had to go in hiding for months, just to avoid getting murdered. All because Snape holds a grudge."

The trio sat in stunned silence. Harry wondered how many of these details were unique to this world, and how much of it was true in his own. He remembered that Dumbledore had told him that it was a Death Eater who had overheard the prophecy and reported back to Voldemort. Dumbledore had never given him a name. Could it have been Severus Snape. He also realized something else quickly. Voldemort had still gone after Harry in this world. He hadn't succeeded, but the fact that he had even tried implied that the prophecy still existed in this world. Did his doppelganger know about it? It didn't seem like it to Harry. He made a mental note to ask Dumbledore* about it.

As if to reinforce this thought, Colin Creevey approached at that moment baring a note. He went up to Harry* and said "Hey Harry. I just passed by Dumbledore and he told me you were showing some new students around. He said to give this to them." He handed a piece of parchment over to Harry, then left to go sit with some friends?

"What does Dumbledore have to say?" Harry* asked, watching Harry unroll the parchment.

"It just says he wants to see us in his office tonight after classes."

"Asked up to the headmaster's office during lunch on your first day of classes?" Iris asked. She turned to Harry* and Ron* and smiled an overly sweet smile. "Looks like your record still stands." The whole group got a laugh out of that one.

Following this, Ron* regaled them with the story of the first prank that he and Harry* had pulled at Hogwarts, one which had landed them in front of Dumbledore after breakfast on the first day of their first year. Near the end, Ernie interrupted, saying "We really need to be getting into class."

Harry*'s face lighted up at this. "You guys are going to love this class. It's Defense Against the Dark Arts, which is always interesting. Further, it's taught by Lupin, who is the best professor ever."

"Agreed," Ron* said as the group got up and started walking to class. "By the way, do you guys remember what we're starting today?"

Ernie grinned. "Werewolves. A subject that I think our professor may have some firsthand knowledge of."

"Professor Lupin is a werewolf," Neville explained to them, though they had no need for the explanation.

"Neville, just because they were homeschooled does not mean that they lived under a rock," Ron said. "I think every wizard in England knows that Remus Lupin is a werewolf."

"Do parents have any trouble with a werewolf teaching their classes?" Hermione asked. "It's a silly prejudice, but I know a lot of people hate werewolves, even with the Wolfbane potion invented.

Harry* looked at her oddly, as though her question was ludicrous. Soon the expression went away though, and he answered, "Of course a few parents are uncomfortable sending their kids to classes with a known werewolf. But not even Lucius Malfoy would speak up against Remus Lupin publically, not after everything he has done." At this point, they reached the classroom and took their seats, leaving the trio wondering just who Lupin was in this world.


End file.
